


Even in the Quiet, there is Still the Smallest of Sounds

by MeMyselfandI2008



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Adorable, Alternate Universe - Everything is black and white until you meet your soulmate, Attempt at Humor, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Incest, Incest, M/M, One Shot Collection, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates, father-in-law/son-in-law
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-20 19:26:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12440001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeMyselfandI2008/pseuds/MeMyselfandI2008
Summary: Jerry has heard of colors appearing when you find your soulmate, but he's never heard of them fading.After some time, he finally turned his attention form the TV to Rick, unable to notice the fading color that surrounded him growing slightly brighter, "When was the first time you saw color?" he asked, eyebrow raised.





	1. Then I met You.

**Author's Note:**

> I had this really cute idea recently and I figured, why not make this? It’s cute and fluffy (like Stitch). This is basically a one-shot book for this universe.

The Smith household was quite, aside from the loud blaring of the TV from the living room where Rick was currently seated on the sofa.

Wait, hold on.

The point of view camera instantly switched over to the kitchen, where Jerry was pulling out muffins from the oven, humming a small song to himself. He gingerly placed the muffins on top of the stove, admiring how well they had turned out. He had previously taken note of the old bananas that were on the counter and decided to make some good use of them. He pulled off the oven mits and placed them on the kitchen counter, taking in a deep breath. Jerry tried not to pay the dull colors that filled his vision any mind. They had been bright once, but something changed, which was very unusual. Jerry has heard of colors appearing when you find your soulmate, but he's never heard of them _fading_. The feeling was so strange and foreign to him. He often wondered if Beth's color also dulled in comparison to how it was when the two had first met. A small thought began to tug at the back of Jerry’s mind, one that he usually ignored, _"You could ask Rick,"_ it said _"After all, he's supposed to be the smartest man in the universe."_

Jerry thought it over for a minute or two. He never liked to ask Rick questions, especially ones of this magnitude. Plus, Rick hates his guts, as far as Jerry's concerned. Eventually he managed to convince himself that asking Rick about this sort of thing might not be the worst thing in the world, causing him to quietly make his way into the living room, briefly pausing a few feet from the couch. He wasn’t sure why he felt nervous all of a sudden. He’s been in the same room as Rick before. Though, Jerry supposed it was the question he wanted answered that caused him to hesitate. He took a deep breath, slowly letting it out as he continued his walk to the couch, quietly taking a seat beside his father-in-law. His sudden appearance earned him a quick glance from Rick, who turned back to the TV in a matter of seconds. Jerry swallowed nervously, shifting his gaze to the TV, finding that some type of mystery show was playing. If Jerry wanted his questions answered, he’d have to go about this the right way, which meant baby steps. He cleared his throat, hoping to gain Rick’s attention, “What, uh, what show is this?” he asked, turning to face Rick, who continued to stare at the TV, “It’s called  _Gotham_ ,” Rick replied, simply. Jerry raised an eyebrow, curiousity filling his eyes, “Like, Gotham from the Batman comics?” he questioned. Rick sighed in annoyance “Yes, _Jerry_. From the-the fuckin’ Batman comics,” he grumbled. Jerry swallowed thickly, immediately turning back to the TV. Baby steps was not working out too well. The two sat in silence, watching the episode plot (that Jerry found extremely interesting) unfold.

After some time, Jerry finally turned his attention form the TV to Rick, unable to notice the fading color growing slightly brighter, "When was the first time you saw color?" he asked, eyebrow raised. It took Rick several seconds to process what Jerry had just asked, having been caught off guard by the question. Rick felt himself tense up at the memory, finally replying with, "I've never seen color."

Jerry frowned "Really? Never?" he questioned, finding that highly unlikely. Rick nodded “Yep, never,” he repeated. Jerry continued to stare at him in slight surprise “I mean, you’ve had to have seen color at _some_ point,” he said, earnig him an extremely sharp glare from Rick, “What part of _never_ is confusing to you?” Rick snapped “Even if I _have_ seen color, it’s none of your goddamn-your fuckin’ business,” he added, anger evident in his eyes. Jerry shrunk under Rick’s cold gaze, shuffling further away from him on the couch. Rick turned his attention back to the TV, flipping to a new channel, one that instantly caught Jerry’s attention.

On the screen was another Jerry, who was dressed in comfortable, yet business like, cloths. He was mixing contents in a bowl while explaining to the audience what exactly he was doing. Jerry felt his eyes go wide with excitement, egarly watching the TV, unaware of Rick staring at him. Rick immediately flipped to another channel, earning him a loud “Hey!” from Jerry along with an annoyed look “I was watching that!” Jerry snapped. He went to snatch the remote from Rick, but was quickly foiled in grabbing it when Rick shoved it down the front of his shirt, a shiver crawling up his spine at the sudden coldness of the remote, “I _dare_ you to grab it,” Rick challenge. Jerry huffed in annoyance, turning back to the TV, a dejected look in his eyes. Silence, aside from the TV, once again filled the room.

Rick eventually pulled the remote out of his shirt, placing it by his side. He glanced at Jerry, who still looked noticeably upset. Rick sighed, running a hand through his hair, “You _really_ want to know when I first saw color?” he asked. Jerry turned to him, eyes wide with surprises, “You mean-”

“Yes, I’ve seen color before. I just-I lied, cause I don’t like talking about it,” Rick cut in “Now, I’ll tell you when I first saw color, under _two_ conditions,” he began. Jerry swallowed thickly, slowly nodding his head to show that he was listening. Rick pulled out his flask from his inside coat pocket “What I tell you does _not_ leave this room. If it does, I will make your life a living hell,” he explained, removing the cap from his flask, “As I tell the story, you will not talk or interrupt me,” he added, taking a long drink from his flask. Jerry nodded, waiting for Rick to begin. Rick whipped his face with his sleeve, putting the lid back on his flask, “It was around the time you and Beth started dating...” he began, eyes resting on the TV.

 _”Remember, Dad,” Beth began, as she adjusted her hair in the living room mirror, “When Jerry comes to pick me up you won’t be a jerk to him and scare him off like those other guys,” she said, turning to face her father, who was seated on the couch flipping through channles on the TV. Beth frowned in annoyance at Rick failing to answer, prompting her to walk in front of him so he wasn’t able to stare at the TV and place her fists on her hips, “_ Dad _,” she snapped, gaining an annoyed look from Rick, “When Jerry comes to-“_

_Rick cut her short “When your stupid, new boyfriend comes to pick you up, don’t scare him,” he grumbled in annoyance “I got it, sweetie,” he added, a little more gently. Beth smiled softly, seeming glad that Rick was actually listening to her and not just tuning her out. The door bell rang out through the house, causing Beth to grin eagerly and rush to answer the door, with Rick following close behind. Beth threw open the door and immediately engulfed Jerry into a tight embrace, which Jerry quickly returned._

_Rick blinked, several times. He was standing a few feet away from the happy couple, and as soon as his gaze fell on Jerry, without any warning, a flush of color invaded his vision, turning his grays and whites into a plethora of color._ _He swallowed thickly, taking a long gulp from his flask that he had absentmindedly taken out of his coat pocket. In that moment, two words crossed his mind, “Fucking shit.” Rick knew about that whole, “When you see your soulmate you’ll see color,” shtick for a while now, but he_ _never_ _once thought it was_ actually _true, and the fact that his_ _supposed “so_ _ulmate”_ _was a_ Jerry _made things even worse._

 _”... grab my purse, and I’ll be ready to go,” Beth chirped, pulling Rick from his thoughts. She quickly walked off, heels clicking as she walked passed her dad. That left Rick only with Jerry, his supposed “soulmate.” Rick couldn’t help but stare at the teen boy with a very annoyed look plastered on his face._ _A nervous smile made its way onto Jerry’s face, revealing his braces, “H-hi,” he mumbled, waving lightly,_ _“Nice to meet you, Mr. Sanchez,” he added. Rick gnawed on the inside of his cheek. Fuck, for a Jerry this kid was adorable. He let out a breath through his nose, taking a few steps closer to Jerry, “You break my daughter’s heart, I’ll kill you,” he growled, earning him a fearful look from the teen, “Yessir! Understood, sir!” Jerry quickly replied. Rick turned on his heels “And for the love of_ god _, use a damn condom,” he muttered, walking passed Beth, who had just gotten back from grabbing her purse._

“So, yeah. That’s when I first saw color,” Rick finished, downing the last of the contents in his flask. He hadn’t ripped his gaze from the TV, nervous on what Jerry’s reaction would be. Jerry, for his part, was extremely surprised and much more observant with the bright color that once again filled his vision. He edged a little closer to Rick, placing a quick kiss on his cheek, surprising both Rick and himself. With that kiss came a very heavy tension in both men. Both debating on what exactly they should, or shouldn’t, do next.

Rick chewed on the inside of his cheek, debating with himself, his mind constantly repeating that this was Beth’s _husband_ , a _Jerry_ , his _son-in-law_... But all of that reasoning was drowned out by two simple words, “Fuck it.” Jerry’s marriage was falling apart, Rick was good with keeping secrets, especially from other Ricks, and Jerry was meant to be his soulmate. Rick turned to face Jerry, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him into a simple, gentle kiss. Jerry returned the kiss easily enough, once over his surprise. He found his hands tugging at Rick’s coat, pulling him closer, but keeping the kiss simple. Rick combed a hand through Jerry’s hair. The kiss in itself was amazing, causing both of them to forget who they truely were and what their relationship was supposed to be.

It lasted several seconds longer before the two pulled away, immediately scooting as far away from each other as possible on the couch. They briefly fixed their cloths hand hair, trying to surpass the blush that was on their faces. Rick found his gaze shifting to Jerry, his mind racing with thoughts on what exactly should happen next, especially after something as intimate as that, “What time do Beth and the kids get home?” he asked. Jerry, caught off guard by the question, pulled his phone out of his font pocket to check the time, “They get back in forty minutes,” he replied. He was about to ask why, but was cut short when Rick scooted closer to him, wrapping his arm around Jerry’s shoulder.

”Good,” Rick muttered, changing the channel on the TV back to _Gotham_. Jerry tensed up at first, but soon relaxed, resting his head on Rick’s shoulder. He hated to admit it, but he liked this tender side of Rick. The color that Jerry saw was bright, and enjoyable. It was a nice change to the faded colors he had gotten so used to looking at. A small smile tugged at his lips “Hey, Rick?” he spoke up, earning him a small hum from the scientist, “I... Uhm... Could we do this again, sometime?” he asked. Rick smiled softly, nodding his head, “I’d like that...”

And so begins this secret relationship...


	2. Late in the Night, I get Lonley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jerry finds himself unable to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief Fourthwall Breaking in this chapter.

It was a relatively quiet night at the Smith resident. Everyone was tucked in bed, fast asleep. Everyone besides Jerry, who was currently staring up at the dark ceiling, debating on whether he should get out of bed to go see Rick or not. It had been roughly two weeks since they had started a secret relationship, and so far, all was well. Occasionally, Jerry would receive a kiss on the forehead when they were alone, or Rick would lace his pinkie with Jerry’s when they were alone in the living room, and they would exchange soft looks that went unnoticed by the family members. Jerry couldn’t help but blush at the memories, running a hand through his hair. No one noticed it, but Jerry was genuinely happy when he was around Rick. Rick would just simply be seated at the kitchen table while Jerry got dinner ready and you could almost feel the atmosphere shift to a calm happiness.

Jerry sat up in bed, briefly glancing to Beth, checking to see if his sudden movements had woken her up. Luckily she was a heavy sleeper and was still fast asleep, snoring softly. He, as quietly as he could, got up from the bed, briefly making his side before turning to make his way to his bedroom door. While it wasn’t unusual for Jerry to see Rick so late in the night, it was unusual for him to be this hesitant. He was curious as to why, unaware that the reason for him being hesitant in the first place, was Rick’s (or, rather, the author’s) fault (but mostly Rick’s).

**.o.o.o.**

Rick stared up at his bedroom ceiling, with his hands resting behind his head. He reflected on all that had happened to him today, finding that the only good thing took place after his adventure with Morty when the two had come home to find Jerry in the kitchen holding a plate of cookies.

_Morty instinctively took a cookie from the plate, quietly thanking his dad as he made his way into the living room. Rick did a double take, making sure they were alone before taking one of the cookies and flashing Jerry a soft smile. Jerry returned it, placing a quick kiss on Rick’s cheek that almost made the scientist blush._

Rick smiled softly at the memory. He always seemed to be caught off guard when Jerry showed any sign of affection, most likely because Rick was usually the one to act first. He frowned lightly, shooting a glare up at the ceiling and promptly flipping it-

_“Hey!”_

Rick grinned cheekily at the author's response. He seriously loved to mess with her, mostly because he was the only one who knew she was even around, “It-it’s what you get for making me all-all cute and shit,” he simply stated to the author, “I’m not cute,” he added. The author raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms, though none of this was visible to Rick.

_“Well, Jerry would disagree with you on that.”_

Rick rolled his eyes in response, sitting up in his bed and stretching out his arms.

_“And if you’re gonna be like that, then I guess I’ll just have Jerry turn around and not come to see you.”_

That seemed to catch Rick off guard, a sudden happy and even excited atmosphere forming around him at the mention of his soulmate. If he had a tail, there’s no doubt that it’d be wagging. Rick stared up at the ceiling, “Sorry I flipped you off,” he quickly replied, getting up from his bed to adjust a few things around in his room.

_“I forgive you.”_

A few minutes passed before there was a small knock on Rick’s bedroom door. Without a second thought, Rick quietly opened the door, dull blue eyes immediately locking with dark brown. Jerry smiled softly, rubbing the back of his neck, “Could I come in? Or is it a bad time?” he asked. Rick returned the smile, stepping to the side, “Nah, you’re fine,” he replied, gently shutting the door as soon as Jerry entered. Rick briefly glanced up at the ceiling, before wrapping Jerry into a tight hug that was quickly returned, “Couldn’t sleep?” Rick questioned, getting into his bed and scooting over as much as he could. The bed was only made for one person, though Rick didn’t complain much about that, considering it gave him an excuse to snuggle with Jerry without making himself seem like to much of an over affectionate Rick.

Jerry shuffled onto the bed, wrapping himself up with the blanket and scooting closer to Rick, who immediately pulled Jerry into his chest, wrapping his hands around Jerry’s upper body and resting his head on the top of Jerry’s head. Jerry felt his face flush red, still not used to this much affection from Rick. He smiled softly, letting out a soft sigh in content. There was a time in Jerry’s life where this feeling of being loved and wanted was only shown rarely from Beth, who seemed to lose interest after a while. Thinking about it seemed to bring up a question Jerry always tried to forget about. It was a question he never wanted to ask, to paranoid it would ruin his relationship with Rick. His curiosity seemed to get the better of him, though.

“Did you leave Beth because I was your soulmate?” The question left Jerry’s lips before he had even realized what he asked. He could feel Rick tense up from the question, his hold on Jerry tightening. Rick stayed quiet, taking in the question that had been asked. Meanwhile, Jerry was mentally panicking, fearing that, once again, he ruined his relationship with someone he loved.

“Yes... I did,” Rick quietly replied, a frown edging its way onto his face. He took a deep breath, thinking over what exactly he should say, “I left her because I couldn’t stand the thought of hurting her. It was such a rare sight to see Beth genuinely happy with the boy she was dating, and when I saw the way you two looked at each other… _Something_ told me I had to leave.”

_“Dad? Where are you going?” Beth asked, taking a few steps into the garage, her eyes never leaving her father. Rick swallowed thickly, adjusting the strap of his duffle bag briefly, and gently placing his portal gun in his inner coat pocket, “Beth,” he began, as gently as he could, “I have to go.”_

_Beth frowned deeply “Where?” she asked, taking a few steps forward. Rick sighed, searching his mind for an excuse, “I can’t stay in one place for too long, and I-”_

_“You’re leaving me,_ again _?!” she cut in, tears threatening to pour from her eyes. Rick winced, gnawing on his lower lip, “Sweetie, you knew I would have to leave eventually,” he explained “I’ll visit when I can,” he added. Beth did her best to contain the tears burning at the corners of her eyes as she stormed up to her dad, grabbing at his duffle bag, tugging it towards her, “You_ can’t _leave! How am I supposed to know if you’ll ever come back?!” she asked. Rick gently placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder, taking note of her quivering hand that still held a tight grip on the strap of the duffle bag, “I_ will _come back. I promise. I just… I’m not sure_ when _,” he said, doing his best to reassure his daughter. Beth sucked in a breath, tears slowly making their way down her face, “You can’t…” she muttered. Rick wrapped Beth into a tight hug “I’ll drop you off at Jerry’s before I leave.”_

“I knew how it was supposed to go. You were supposed to marry Beth, have Summer and Morty, and I was just supposed to show up out of the blue and live at your house rent free. Which is why I constantly told myself to forget about you, to push you out of my mind. Ricks and Jerrys _aren’t_ supposed to get along, and they definitely _aren’t_ supposed to be soulmates. Eventually, when I did work up the nerve to show up at your door, you could imagine my regret when you were the one to answer.”

_Rick took a deep breath as he waited patiently for the front door of the Smith house to open. He briefly adjusted his lab coat, praying that Beth would answer the door, hoping she’d forgive him. He tried to reassure himself, reminding himself that it would turn out that way, as it is in every other dimension. His eyes locked onto the figure who had opened the door, color that had long since faded flushing back to him. Of course. Just his fucking luck. The person meant to be his soulmate was the one to answer the door. Just when Rick had thought he was over Jerry, just when he had some hope, it had to be crushed by this man standing in front of him._

_“Mr. Sanchez?” Jerry questioned, in surprise, “What are you doing here?”_

_Rick swallowed thickly, almost unable to comprehend what was just asked of him. He was so overwhelmed by all this color and seeing Jerry again. Rick cleared his throat “First off, just call me Rick. Second off, is Beth home? I want to talk to her,” he managed._

“Ever since I started living with you guys, I kept telling myself to hate you, kept trying to convince myself that I meant every hateful thing that I said to you, that I wasn’t just _lying_ to myself every day. I knew though, that I couldn’t keep the truth to myself for much longer. And so, this is where we are.”

Jerry swallowed thickly, shifting his attention to Rick, “I… I’m sorry,” he muttered, quietly. Rick raised an eyebrow, shifting his gaze to Jerry, “For what?” he asked. Jerry frowned deeply “For unintentionally causing you so much pain,” he replied. Rick chuckled lightly, placing a small kiss on Jerry’s temple. The reaction got a very surprised look from Jerry, “It’s fine. Trust me when I say I’ve been through worse,” Rick explained. That seemed to manage a small smile from Jerry, who wrapped his arms around Rick, “I love you, Rick,” he said quietly. Rick blinked in some surprise, not expecting those three words to ever be said to him, especially by his soulmate, “I… I love you too, Jer,” he said.

There was a calm silence that fell over the two men, the only sound being Rick quietly singing a lullaby he had sung to Beth when she was a little girl. Jerry slowly closed his eyes, smiling softly as he listened to Rick sing.

**.o.o.o.**

The next morning, Rick slowly opened his eyes, finding that he was left alone in his room, as usual. He shifted his gaze to the alarm clock seated on his table, which read 6:00am. Summer and Morty were probably getting ready for school, Beth was probably getting ready for work and Jerry was probably getting breakfast ready. A small smile twitched onto Rick’s lips as he shifted his posistion so he was lying on his stomach with his hands under his pillow. He’ll get up in a few more minutes, after all, he wasn’t in a huge rush. Plus, he was still exhausted from staying up so late.

_”Or you just want Jerry to yourself this morning._ _So, you’re gonna wait for everyone else to leave.”_

Rick glared up at the ceiling “Fuck off, author,” he grumbled “I’m trying to sleep in peace. Why don’t you go and work on some of your other fanfictions that you’ve been neglecting for the past few months?” he added. The author blinked several times, feeling extremely hurt that Rick would call her out on her procrastination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, second chapter! How’d I do? I’m open for constructive criticism or even comments on what you liked best about this particular chapter. (Seriously, don’t be shy! I love seeing people comment on my stuff!)


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